TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Director of the Bureau of Corrections in the Philippines, Ronald dela Rosa, told Filipino staff at I-Mei Foods (義美食品) Friday to stay away from drugs.

The former national police chief said that if his bid for Senator next May is successful, he would actively promote closer relations with Taiwan’s business world.

After arriving on the island Friday, he immediately headed for the I-Mei factory in Taoyuan City’s Nankan area, where he received a warm welcome from staff, which includes many Filipinos.

The company first started employing 50 Filipino workers in 1993, while last year it went directly to Manila and Davao to recruit 200 employees without the need for the workers to pay significant brokerage fees.

During his tour of the factory, Dela Rosa sampled some of the buns the company supplies to McDonald’s and viewed its high-tech food safety lab, while enjoying songs and dances put on by the staff from his country.

Before leaving I-Mei, he sat down with the workers and counseled them against taking drugs, as his country was continuing its crackdown on the drug trade.

Some employees noted his resemblance to U.S. actor Dwayne Johnson, with whom he shares a similar nickname, “The Rock” or “Bato,” though in the Philippines official’s case it refers to his birthplace on the island of Mindanao.